Yell County to receive first responder fundingWASHINGTON –– Arkansas Senators John Boozman and Tom Cotton, along with Fourth District Congressman Bruce Westerman, announced three United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) grants will help Yell and Franklin counties purchase emergency response equipment. The city of Ola will receive $50,000 to help fund the purchase of a new pumper truck to replace the 35-year-old truck now in use. In addition, the city of Belleville will receive $4,00...

Atkins woman loses life in Interstate 40 vehicle wreckCLARKSVILLE — An Atkins woman died after her 2003 Ford Explorer crashed Thursday morning on Interstate 40. According to an Arkansas State Police (ASP) report, Monica Lenhart, 31, was westbound on I-40 in the Explorer when it left the roadway and struck a culvert near the 85 mile-marker. The driver was ejected from the vehicle. ASP Cpl. Shane Bewley responded to the accident, which was the 101st on Arkansas highways and roads this year and has ...

Obituary: Russell MasonRussell J. Mason, 66, of Russellville died Wednesday, March 25, 2015, at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center in Russellville. The son of John and Eva Monette Mason, he was born Jan. 23, 1949, in Bruce Crossing, Mich. He graduated from Ewen High School in Ewen, Mich., and then earned a Bacholor’s in Science from Western Michigan State University in Kalamazoo, Mich. Russell was a mechanical engineer with ANO. He enjoyed fishing and gardening. H...

Obituary: George BrattonATKINS — George A. Bratton, 68, of Atkins passed away Friday, March 20, 2015, at Baptist Hospital in Little Rock. He was born Feb. 11, 1947, at home in the Atkins Bottoms to Jimmy Eules and Alice Johnson Bratton. He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Joe and Doyle Bratton; son, Little George Bratton, Eben and Marie Strickland and Anne Strickland. George was a beloved daddy and brother, was the oldest of eight children and at the a...

Obituary: Paul ToomerDARDANELLE — Paul “Candy Man” David Toomer, 55, of Russellville died Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center. He was born Aug. 14, 1959, at Aurora, Colo., to the late Ray Freeman and Elsie Mae German Toomer. He was a handyman and everyone called him candy man. He tossed candy to all his neighbors at the Glenwood House. He was preceded in death by his parents. Survivors include his three children, Bethany Ferrell of Mou...

Obituary: Patricia VestalDANVILLE — Patricia L. “Pat” Vestal, 81, of Danville passed away Wednesday, March 25, 2015, at Arkansas Hospice at St. Vincent Medical Center in Little Rock. Pat was born July 20, 1933, in Morgantown, Ky., to the late Oakley Everett and Dora Butler McKinney. She was a 1954 graduate of Jewish Hospital College of Nursing in Saint Louis, Mo. She was a retired Registered Nurse from Chambers Memorial Hospital and a member of the Ranger Freewill Bap...

Obituary: Floyd RossFloyd Ross, 66, died March 25, 2015. He was born Dec. 27, 1948, to Floyd and Imogene Ross. He was a Vietnam veteran and was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 33 years, Jean Ross; two brothers, Bobby Ross (Connie) and Sammy Ross (Mary); seven children, John Carter Ross, Floyd Ross III, Jimmy Ross (Jennifer), Sammy Ross, Tracy Boswell (John), Vicky Price (Jody) and Amy Riccardo; 15 grandchildren; two great-grandchil...

System helps law enforcement return stolen itemsReportIt, a property inventory system, has caught the attention of local law enforcement because of its ability to aid in recovering stolen items. Available at reportit.leadsonline.com, the system allows the storage of serial numbers, item descriptions, pictures and scans of receipts in the event of theft or loss. ReportIt is free, and each account can store up to 100 items. Information stored is protected by the same high-level security used ...

News Briefs (March 27, 2015)Food Truck Ordinance hearing A public hearing for comments on the Food Truck Ordinance to be presented to the Russellville City Council will begin at 6 p.m. Tuesday in the first floor conference room at Russellville City Hall, located at 203 S. Commerce Ave. The Ordinance will set rules and regulations for Food Truck businesses located in the city limits of Russellville. For more information, call (479) 968-1002. Tri-County Tea Party meeting M...

Governor says there's no room for more tax cutsLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson said Thursday that there's no room in his proposed budget for additional tax cuts, despite a renewed push to find funding for a tax exemption for military veterans. Hutchinson told reporters that a $102 million middle class income tax cut he signed into law last month and an effort to restore a capital gains tax break that was scaled back to help pay for that reduction are all that his proposed b...

Senate backs ban on informal transfers of adopteesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Senate unanimously approved measures Thursday banning the informal transfer of adopted children known as "re-homing" — proposals prompted by a lawmaker who gave away his adopted daughters to a man who later admitted to sexually assaulting one of them. With no debate, senators approved a proposal criminalizing the practice of giving an adopted child to an unrelated family without state oversight and another propo...

Key part of Arkansas prison plan given final OKLITTLE ROCK (AP) — A central part of Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson's plan to ease prison overcrowding by clearing the way for the state to partner with counties on regional facilities and expanding alternative sentencing has been given final approval by lawmakers. The bill approved on a 33-0 vote by the Senate on Thursday is aimed at helping clear the backlog of more than 2,600 state inmates at county jails. It allows inmates to apply for Medic...

House: Please drop the egg ban, coo-coo-ca-chooLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An Arkansas state representative says if California places a "substantial burden" on the Arkansas egg industry, he wants to do the same to California wines. The Arkansas House voted 57-19 Thursday to bar California wine imports. Republican Rep. Dan Douglas of Bentonville says he drafted his bill to protest a voter-approved California law blocking imports of eggs from hens kept in cages so small the animals cannot turn around...

Texarkana city manager resigns, cites health issuesTEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — The city manager of Texarkana has announced his resignation, citing ongoing health issues. City Manager Harold Boldt said Wednesday at a press conference that he will begin dialysis soon, and will likely need a kidney transplant. "In my life right now, stress is a big deal, and it's a part of being a city manager," Boldt said. "When I'm in a meeting and you see me, you don't know what I'm thinking. I have to sit on my em...

Police investigating 2 explosions in Black Rock areaWALNUT RIDGE (AP) — Two explosions have rattled Lawrence County, but authorities do not know what caused them. The Jonesboro Sun reported that the first explosion occurred Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and the second one happened Tuesday at 12:45 p.m. No injuries or damage related to the explosions have been reported. The newspaper reports the explosions seemed to be centered around the Imboden/Black Rock area. Nearby police forces received calls abo...

House supports overhaul to lottery scholarshipLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas' lottery-funded scholarships would be awarded based on the number of credit hours earned by college students under a proposal endorsed by the House. The bill advanced to the Senate on Thursday in a 77-0 vote. Republican Rep. Dwight Tosh of Jonesboro says the change would begin in 2016 and require the Department of Higher Education to award scholarships based on credit hours instead of academic year. Tosh says the ch...

Lawmakers OK cutting funding to Planned ParenthoodLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers have given final approval to cutting off any public funding to abortion providers and entities that refer women to abortion providers, a move that's aimed at blocking money Planned Parenthood has received for sex education programs. By a 70-8 vote, the Republican-controlled House backed the prohibition, which would also apply to "affiliates" of entities that perform abortions or referrals. The measure now ...

Senate backs limit on Common Core test contractLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The Arkansas Senate has voted to limit the length of the state's contract with a testing company whose assessments are based on Common Core education standards. The bill approved by the Senate on a 22-2 vote Thursday prevents the state from entering into a contract for more than a year with the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. The measure requires the state to consider the recommendations from...

House rejects ending life sentences for juvenilesLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Juvenile offenders in Arkansas will continue to be sentenced to life without parole for certain crimes after the state House rejected a bill to end the practice. House members voted 53-29 Thursday against the proposal to eliminate the sentence for future offenders who are under the age of 18 when they commit a crime. The bill would not have been retroactive but would have required the families of victims be notified of parol...

Senate rejects Medicaid plan freeze proposalLITTLE ROCK (AP) — An effort to stop signing people up for Arkansas' compromise Medicaid expansion has failed in the state Senate. The Senate voted 15-13 Thursday against the bill to require the state to seek approval from the federal government to freeze enrollment in the "private option," which uses federal funds to purchase private insurance for the poor. The program was crafted as an alternative to the Medicaid expansion envisioned under t...